


Books.

by jpegcalum



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: BDSM mentioned, Bookstore AU, I started this before Christmas and got lazy, M/M, One Shot, bookstore employee!calum, red hair!michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 21:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6257335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jpegcalum/pseuds/jpegcalum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Yeah, I'm looking for like... Fifty Shades of Grey, but like, do it yourself."</p><p>Or the one where Calum is shy and awkward and Michael is adventurous. Or just a dumb ass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Books.

The tiny little bookshop had been quiet all day, and frankly, that was the way Calum liked it. It was easy and it left plenty of time for him to hop around the stacks and rearrange things that probably didn't need rearranging.  
His world was parchment and crackling spines, dust jackets and too-sweet cups of coffee.  
But one day, the monotony of paper and ink was broken-  
Shattered, really, by combat boots and red hair, laughter like the sunshine, and a smile like the moon. 

Calum was perched atop the check out counter, his eyes on his phone, completely ignoring his co-worker, Ashton, as the clerk babbled on about his girlfriend.  
The shop was silent, aside from the noisy air conditioning unit and the voice, of course, but Calum was growing restless. There hadn't been a customer in hours, and it was beginning to grate on him. It was killing him.  
Hopping down from his perch, the dark haired boy decided he was going to take a lap, to see if there was anything that needed tidying or alphabetizing. He knew they didn't, he'd already done that six times.  
The plush carpet smooshed beneath his black converse, the apron about his hips emblazoned with a large white coffee mug, ruining the whole emo child look. Not that he needed it of course. 

He was tall and muscular, his hair recently buzzed so it stopped falling into his chocolate eyes, but he thought he looked alright. He'd been told he was fit before, but he didn't think so much about it for it to go to his head. 

As he slipped into the youth literature section, the tinkling of bells alerted him to visitors. Well, that, and Ashton's cheery chirp of "Good Afternoon!".  
Giggling made Calum poke his head around the shelving, and what he saw knocked the breath from his lungs. 

A pair of boys stood there, one perusing the postcards, his blond hair and blue eyes making him look angelic, but what really slaughtered him was the absolutely gorgeous creature standing beside him, hands stuffed into pockets and dark ink adorning pale skin. A green flannel was rolled up to his elbows, his dyed red locks complimenting nicely, definitely in the Christmas spirit.  
The stranger's green eyes met Calum's and the employee blushed deeply as the angel smiled at him. Calum turned away quickly, hearing sniggering from the pair. He was an embarrassment, he knew. 

The Kiwi boy kept his eyes on the shelves, taking a few books into his arms to move them to the overstock section when he heard whispering, just around the corner of the aisle. He paused, listening to the rushed hissing, only catching a few words, like 'do it!' and 'shut up!'. They fell silent, and Calum thought, maybe they'd left, but he was proven wrong when he turned, nearly face to face with the redhead as he stepped out into the aisle. He gasped, moving to step back, but the other only held up his hands. Chuckling could be heard from the door, where Ashton and the blond stood, watching the pair, and Calum frowned, looking back at the customer.  
"Uh... can I help you find something?" He asked quietly, and the guy swallowed hard and cleared his throat. 

"Yeah, I'm looking for like... Fifty Shades of Grey, but like, do it yourself."

Holy fuck, Calum couldn't breathe as he stared at the guy, who'd begun to blush furiously as Ashton and the other boy broke down into a fit of giggles. 

"U-uh... I.... I don't-" Cal tried, but the guy only put his hands behind his back. 

"D-do it yourself is over h-here." He mumbled, turning on his heel and heading into the shelves quickly, his head down in embarrassment. 

"H-hey, w-wait, I... I was just kidding." The paler said quietly, reaching out and gripping Calum's wrist tightly, making him jump. 

"I... L-Luke dared me to say that to you, I just... I wanted to... a-ask you out."

That stunned him ever so slightly, and dark eyes flick up to meet emerald hues. 

"You're just... really cute? I mean like, in a totally punk way... i-i can go, if I made you uncomfortable..." He was still talking, and Calum couldn't seem to get out a single word. 

"I... right. Sorry." And the beautiful boy is releasing him, turning and walking away. Calum still couldn't make himself move. Had... that really just happened, didn't it? 

The tinkle of the chimes stir him, and finally, Calum is able to move, eyes widening before he's realizing that he needed to do something. That guy had just been humiliated, all for him. And Calum wasn't about to let him go. Snatching a book off the shelf, the boy quickly flipped it open to the inside cover and pulled a pen from the pocket of his apron, and scrawled a few words inside before sprinting down the aisle, ignoring Ashton's protests as he burst outside and into the freezing streets. 

The boys are easy to spot, with the bright red hair sticking up in the icy wind. The pair are walking away, the blond resting a hand on the shorter boy's back. Shit, they were getting away!  
"Hey!" Calum called out, beginning to make his way through the semi crowded streets, the Christmas shoppers not giving a damn about his love life.  
"Wait! Hey!" 

And his heart beats a little harder when the red haired boy pauses, glancing over his shoulder. His cheeks are as red as his hair, but the smile that bursts over his cherry lips definitely didn't make Calum weak at the knees.  
He finally made it to them, the tall blond looking like he was going to burst with shock and pride. 

"I...uh... I didn't think about what I was gonna say to you." Calum totally draws a blank, but Red Head only shakes his head, looking as though he was trying to hold in a laugh.

"I... I guess I'll just... here." And he shoves the book into the pretty boy's hands before turning on his heel and tearing back towards the shop. 

Luke looks down at the book that's been thrust into Michael's hands, and can't help it. He breaks down into a fit of giggles, gasping and gripping Michael's shoulder.

"'BDSM for Dummies'." Michael reads aloud, his cheeks only flaring more. He swallows hard, flipping it open, and there, on the front page, is a handwritten note, with a phone number beneath it.

"Give me a call if you need help with any of this stuff - Calum."

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on tumblr: kawaiii-mikey. let's cry together.


End file.
